EMSA Contract Up For Renewal

A decision was due at the end of the month on whether Tulsa will renew EMSA's contract for ambulance service. <br/><br/>Thursday afternoon the mayor asked EMSA to wait until January for the decision,

Thursday, October 12th 2006, 5:19 pm

By: News On 6

A decision was due at the end of the month on whether Tulsa will renew EMSA's contract for ambulance service.

Thursday afternoon the mayor asked EMSA to wait until January for the decision, so she will have more time to go through the numbers.

The fire department believes it can do the same job for less money than EMSA.

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor has heard from both agencies this week with their plans for the next five years and how much it will cost for ambulance service.

She says there are no problems with the care EMSA provides, but the increasing subsidy they require - $1.8 million this year, and an estimated $3.4 million next year - requires her to look at the option of using the fire department instead of EMSA. "The important thing for us is to find out which works for our community, to maintain the quality of care, that's the first priority, and then to make sure the dollars are used wisely."

The mayor said she's not just looking at what it could cost the city budget, but what it would cost the people who call an ambulance for each trip.